Think about your mobile phone for a second… where is it right now? If I was a betting man, I'd wager that just a quick glance from your computer screen or a swift reach for your pocket is all it takes to locate it. BUT, that wasn't just a lucky guess.

The following is an interview dialogue between Jessica Vaughan, a journalist with Washington, D.C’s Metro Weekly, and Wendt Partners founder and senior strategist Douglas Wendt. The topic is the importance of brand strategy to the future of businesses, associations and nonprofits as they seek to serve customers or members and grow their organizations.

One of the challenges many business owners face at the start of a new year is deciding how to achieve their growth goals. Choosing a course of action means assessing the prior year's performance, selecting key metrics and organizing your team to succeed. With all of the competing priorities calling for your attention, there's one thing you can do that will have a direct impact on your results this year: focus on the fundamentals.